Commanders Game Recap

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How many of you reading this have been to your favorite team's home stadium for a game? I bet a lot of you have! The experience of seeing your favorite team in person for a game is incredible. Except…

Imagine seeing a packed-out crowd at FedEx Field. For most of my life, that hasn’t quite been the experience. Over the past 20 years, that packed-out crowd was usually away team fans getting cheap tickets to watch in a horrible stadium.

But this year was different! This time, the packed crowd was filled with the burgundy and gold I would hear about in stories as a kid. I couldn’t be there – Elon is a little too far away to make the trip back to DC for a game. But the anticipation was building as I desperately tried to find a way to watch this game. As I was sitting in my friend's dorm room on their couch, with everyone around me focused on their favorite team's game, I was using my friend's iPhone to watch (don’t ask. Let’s just say YouTube TV doesn’t like it when you try to watch your hometown team from a couple of hundred miles away).

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The best part was that the Commanders won. The Josh Harris ownership group couldn’t have asked for a better way to start their first season as owners. Here is my breakdown of the Commanders 20-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

First, Sam Howell, despite not having the best final numbers, was solid. He completed 19 of 31 passes for 202 yards, scored a touchdown and interception, and rushed for a touchdown. He was also sacked six times and suffered double-digit hits. He also fumbled, leading to a Cardinals touchdown. That was brutal, and he can’t make that kind of mistake at the end of a half again. But most of those sacks were on the offensive line, not giving Howell enough time. Still, Howell needs to be held partially responsible as well, as he took way too long to get rid of the ball.

The Commanders' defense dominated, which isn’t surprising given the weak competition. Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Montez Sweat combined for 11 tackles for loss. Sweat is expected to follow Payne's blueprint for a breakout season in a contract year. Now imagine if Chase Young comes back healthy and dominates!

It may have been an ugly win, but it's still a win that gives fans hope for a better future for the team. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season holds.